Grasping remaps the distribution of visuospatial attention and enhances competing action activation

Abstract

We examined how action goals influence the distribution of visuospatial attention near the body (Experiment 1) and how the temporal relationship between distractors and targets modifies shifts in visuospatial attention (Experiment 2). Targets were light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the left and right hemispace of a visual display. Following left or right target illumination, participants reached to point-to or grasp target object in blocked trials. Coincident with target onset, a distractor LED illuminated in the same or opposite hemispace between the initiation point and target, or no distractor appeared. In Experiment 1, during grasping there was a larger temporal interference effect (slower reach initiation) than with pointing. When grasping versus pointing, participants deviated more towards same-side distractors and away from opposite-side distractors. In Experiment 2, distractors onset 200ms prior to (-200-ms), coincident with (0 ms), or 200ms following (+200 ms) the target. For both reach types, -200-ms distractors had greater onset temporal interference than 0 ms and +200-ms distractors. For grasping, +200 ms distractors had larger temporal interference than 0 ms distractors. For -200-ms, reach trajectories deviated more towards opposite-side distractors and away from same-side distractors, the reverse of the pattern for 0 ms and +200-ms distractors.

Distraction for the eye and ear

“…Typically, lights briefly flashed during an eye movement affect the latency, velocity, trajectory and extent of both regular saccades and fixational eye-movement (e.g., Buonocore, McIntosh, & Distraction for the eye and ear Melcher, 2015). Similar effects are observed in visually-controlled grasping movements and to a lesser extent in pointing (Colman, Remington & Kritikos, 2017), as well as fast action selection involving button presses. Maintaining good performance despite the presence of distractors involves some extra top-down signal to suppress this taskirrelevant information and make sure the eyes/hands/fingers are directed to the target.…”